Wireless Internet Added to Community Centers

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Wireless Internet Added to Community Centers

News release issued by the City of Huntsville:

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The City of Huntsville announced today the addition of five community centers to its growing list of free WiFi access points now available through the Parks & Recreation Department and Traveller Multimedia Network.

The new locations include Cavalry Hill Community Center, Westside Community Center, Lakewood Community Center, Dr. Richard Showers Sr. Recreation Center and Brahan Spring Recreation Center. The City spent about $14,000 to make the five centers “hot.” Traveller will continue to provide free access to citizens.

“We are pleased to add these neighborhood centers to our expanding list of free wireless locations throughout the City,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “It provides another layer of support for our school’s technology initiative, and we want students to know they have another place to study with their laptops.”

The Community Centers remain open on weekdays until 9 p.m., with shorter hours on weekends. The additional wireless access will help support students and families needing Internet for homework. In addition to WiFi, Cavalry and Westside centers offer computer labs for adults and children.

During the month of September, there were more than 297,638 user connections to one of the City’s WiFi points. This includes users at the Burritt Museum, Train Depot, Big Spring Park, John Hunt Park, Jaycee Building, Huntsville Tennis Center, Madison County Court House, Metro Kiwanis SportsPlex, Natatorium, Brahan Springs locations, Jake Field, and the Old Miracle League Field.

Recreation Services Manager Steve Ivey expects that number to grow with the addition of the new centers. “We are working to identify even more locations throughout our Parks & Recreation system that might help serve our students and families,” said Ivey. “Fern Bell and Optimist Park are on our list, and we are working closely with the schools to help close any gaps.”

The WiFi access would not be possible without the help of Traveller MultiMedia Network, a Huntsville-based company with a history of delivering Internet access to municipal and government entities. Traveller has instituted a content filtering system to prevent inappropriate material from passing through the public networks. The network is completely wireless, with WiFi access points connected to a central location connected to the rest of the Internet.